Karnataka engineering student drowns trying to save friend in Oklahoma's Turner Falls

An engineering student from a village of Sindhanur in Karnataka drowned while saving his Indian friend at Turner Falls near Oklahoma of United States (US) on Tuesday.

They were identified as 23-year-old Ajay Kumar Koyalamudi and 22-year-old Teja Koushik Voleti, state Medical Examiner's Office was quoted as saying by the Associated Press on Wednesday. Police said they received a call for a person in distress around 10 AM then received a call about a second person in distress at the falls.

Teja lost balance at the falls and fell into the river, forcing Ajay to dive into the river to save his friend but ended up drowning. The incident happened when he travelled nearly 330km from Dallas to Tuner Falls of Oklahoma.

Ajay was pursuing Construction Engineering Management at The University of Texas in Arlington. He left to Dallas in December 2018, after completing his Bachelor of Engineering in Civil at New Horizon College of Engineering of Marathali at Bengaluru.

In order to transport Ajay's mortal remains from Dallas, the Telugu Association of America contacted the Indian High Commissioner Office in Texas and is expected to arrive on Saturday

A police source confirmed to TNIE, that, the high commissioner had contacted them and informed that all the procedures are being carried out in order to transport the body to India.

Two Indian students, who were on a foreign exchange programme in the US, have drowned at a popular tourist destination in Oklahoma, according to a media report.

The duo, who were international students at the University of Texas at Arlington died on Tuesday at Turner Falls in the US state of Oklahoma, KFOR-TV, Oklahoma's Television station reported.

Officers found the bodies in the middle of a pool of water about nine to 10 feet deep. Police believe the second man jumped into the water to save the first but was unsuccessful, the report said. Both men were poor swimmers and neither was wearing a life jacket, according to police.

In July, a 27-year-old woman and 39-year-old man drowned at the park and they were also Indians. Assistant Chief for Davis police, Dee Gregory, said that the park has been closed the Falls Swimming hole following the drownings. The swimming hole, diving board and slide usually end on October 1.